London County Council election, 1919

← 1913

6 March 1919

1922 →

124 Council Seats

	First party	Second party	Third party

Leader	George Hume	Scott Lidgett	Harry Gosling
Party	Municipal Reform	Progressive	Labour
Leader since	1918	1918	1920
Leader's seat	Greenwich	Rotherhithe	St George's-in-the-East
Last election	67	49	2
Seats won	68	40	15
Councillors	68	40	15
Aldermen	12	6	2
Seats +/–	1	9	13

An election to the County Council of London took place on 6 March 1919. It was the tenth triennial election of the whole Council. The size of the council was increased to 124 councillors and 20 aldermen. The councillors were elected for electoral divisions corresponding to the new parliamentary constituencies that had been created by the Representation of the People Act 1918. There were sixty dual member constituencies and one four member constituency. The Council was elected by First Past the Post with each elector having two votes in the dual member seats.

The Prime Minister of the day was the Liberal David Lloyd George who had just led a Coalition Government that included the Unionist Party and some Liberals and Socialists to a General Election victory three months earlier, with the help of a Coalition government 'coupon'.

Although the Municipal Reform party had won an overall majority at the last elections in 1913, in line with National politics, they decided late in 1917 to form a war-time coalition to mirror the national government. Some Progressive Party members were offered Chairmanships of Committees. This coalition had continued after the war ended.

There was no County wide electoral agreements between any of the parties, though clearly there had been some locally agreed situations. There were very few constituencies where all three parties stood two candidates. In the past, the Progressive Party had encompassed the Labour Party, with candidates running in harness. That situation was becoming less common. A few Progressive candidates ran in harness with Municipal Reform candidates but there was no 'coupon' in operation for the two 'coalition parties' who frequently ran candidates against each other. Among the defeated candidates were future Labour Leader Clement Attlee and future Conservative Chief Whip David Margesson

The Municipal Reform Party won an overall majority of seats, electing 68 councillors. They only lost one seat, to an Independent candidate. (The defeated candidate was made an Alderman after the election) As before they decided to operate a form of Coalition with the Progressives. Labour made a substantial advance in terms of seats, but remained the third party. There was just one Independent elected.

In addition to the 124 councillors the council consisted of 20 county aldermen. Aldermen were elected by the council, and served a six-year term. Half of the aldermanic bench were elected every three years following the triennial council election. After the elections, there were eleven Aldermanic vacancies and the following Alderman were appointed by the newly elected council;

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